Pablo Robertson
Paul "Pablo" Robertson was an American professional basketball player and member of the Harlem Globetrotters. At college, Robertson played on the 1962–63 Loyola University Chicago squad that won the NCAA Tournament, although Robertson was dropped in the middle of the season due to grades.[1]
.png.webp) Robertson with the Loyola Ramblers in 1962 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943/1944 |
| Died | June 23, 1990 (aged 46) Long Island, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Listed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | DeWitt Clinton (Bronx, New York) |
| College | Loyola (Illinois) (1962–1963) |
| NBA draft | 1963 / Undrafted |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 14, 15 |
Early life
Pablo Robertson grew up in Harlem, New York, and played basketball at DeWitt Clinton High School. Although relatively short at a listed height of 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m), he attracted attention with his ball-handling skills. Pete Axthelm described him as "a guard who could ignite playground crowds in a way that no bigger man could match."[2]:176
College career
Robertson matriculated to Loyola University Chicago in 1961.[2]:132 After a year on the freshman basketball team, he joined the varsity squad in 1962, by now listed at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m).[2]:175
On December 29, 1962 in a game between Loyola and Wyoming at the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City, Loyola's starting point guard Jack Egan fouled out. When Robertson was put in to replace Egan, Loyola became the first major college team known to play five African-American players at the same time.[3]
Along with teammate Billy Smith, Robertson did poorly in his classes during the first semester of his second year, and was ruled ineligible to continue playing on the basketball team. Egan recalls that he got four Fs and one D, and joked that "he put too much time into that one subject."[2]:186
After college
According to Loyola teammate Billy Smith, Robertson was drafted into the Army in the mid-1960s to serve in the Vietnam War. Smith said that serving in war greatly affected Robertson, and that he turned to alcohol and drugs when he returned.[2]:186
After the war, Robertson joined the Harlem Globetrotters. As a Globetrotter, he was one of the animated characters on the 1970s CBS Saturday morning cartoon series.[4][5] He was with the Globetrotters for seven years.[6]
Robertson died on June 23, 1990 at the age of 46 in a Long Island hospital.[6]
References
- Jauss, Bill (December 18, 1987). "25 Years Later, They're Still Champs". Chicago Tribune.
- Lenehan, Michael (2013). Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963—The Team That Changed the Color of College Basketball. Agate Publishing. ISBN 978-1572841406.
- Thomas, John C. Ramblermania.com "Forty Years Ago Today" December 29, 2002 Retrieved on March 30, 2018.
- Ronnie Flores. "Top 24 Rucker Park legends Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine". ESPN. August 23, 2010. Retrieved on October 26, 2010.
- "We Remember - Pablo Robertson". Ex Globetrotters.com.
- Evans, Howie (June 30, 1990). "Pablo Robertson Dies in L.I. Hospital". New York Amsterdam News. New York. p. 60. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via ProQuest.
External links
- Callahan, Tom (May 19, 1972). "The Children of the Streets". The Cincinnati Enquirer – via Newspapers.com.